The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-07-30
NATURAL GAS.
Editor Exchange:

| "6 J"S' iC'uIuou lIOIu WISH
to Hartford City, Ind, the center of
the natural gus belt in that state, |
feel IL my duty to tell your many
readers, especially our Milan people,
about the wonderful gas wells l wit
messed at Hartford City, Dunkirk,
Redkeep and Mt. Pelier. There are
also good wells at Mnnice, Jonesboro,
Marian, KokOma, Andersontown, and
many others that did not visit. The
Hartford City wells seem to attract
more attention than any others.
Hartford City has about 5000 inhab.
itants. 1t is the county seat of Black.
ford county, and is situated near the
eastern border of the state, 48 miles
south Of Fl. Wayne and about rs
miles northeast of indianapolis at the
crossing of the P. e. u st. L. Il. R.,
and the Fl. Wayne, Munice q Louis
vile K. K. Some of the Hartford
City people formed a stock company
of about forty members about three
months ago and bored a well about
500 feet deep, finding good supply
of gas, a supply sufficient to light all
the streets and all the houses and fur
nish fuel for all the dwellings, hotels,
business houses and stationary engines
within the city limits. The stock
company, not being satisfied with one
well, put down second well in an.
other part of the city to depth of
S55 feet, striking a tremendous vein
of gas, which is eleven times stronger
than the first well. This is the best
well in the state, and when the gas is
turned on to its fullest capacity from
the big we'll the roaring can be heard
for 10 or II miles. The burning gas
runs from 60 to 70 feet up in the air.
One can seq to read paper a. least
100 yards away from the well. While
the gas is turned on the earth is in
tremble for $50 to 200 feet from the
well. The noise that the gas makes
in its rush for the open air, so near as
| can describe it, would be similar to
100 or more engines well steamed up
and all blowing off steam at once, or
like the rumbing of tornado accom-
panied by the Kissing of steam. The
heat is so intense that if one stands
within hundred feet of the lighted
well they will be ia a perspiration all
over in few minutes. This gas is
simply wonderful, and we'll worth any
ones time and money to visit the
wells. The gas puri6ss the air and
seems to Gem pletely saturate the air
with ozone, which makes one feel like
thew could breathe whole house-full
of air at once. Consumptives and
persons with throat trouble get imme.
diate relief there. Ft. Wayne is ne
gotiating for the large well. They
propose to lay pipes from Hartford
City to Fl. Wayne, distance of 4S
miles, and utilize the gas in Fl. Wayne
for lighting the city and for fuel.
Hartford City is now boring third
we'll. Hundreds of towns throughout
the state are boring for gas, many of
them not a fourth the size of Milan,
with no more assurance of finding gas
than we would have here. The wells
at Hartford City are entirely free from
coal gas. No obnoxious OdOr about
the gas. 1t gives out rather pleasant
odor, more like perfume than gas. l
might state further, in order to Obht
crate the idea that this natural gus
comes directly or indirectly from coal
beds, that there is not a cOAl bed
nearer Hartford City than the coal
beds near Vincennes, Ind, a distance
Of near 200 miles. Why not organ
i1e = stock company in Milan and pui
a well down at ancei 1t will no: cost
us much, and If successful il will be